OpenCycleMap is a OpenStreetMap rendering layer like mapnik, but primarily aimed at showing information useful to cyclists. The website www.opencyclemap.org provided by Andy Allan is little more than a way of viewing the map, but the tiles are used in a number of other websites and applications. The layer can also be seen on the main OSM page by selecting the "cycle map" layer.

The map rendering is still being improved, the data are updated every few days. It shows National Cycle Network cycle routes, other regional and local routes, and other cycling-specific features, such as:

dedicated cycle tracks and lanes

bicycle parking

contours and hill colouring

bike shops, toilets, drinking fountains, even pubs!

proposed bike routes (or numbering protocols), contrasted with the Lonvia map, below, which does not show proposed routes, but actual routes only

Update cycle

Since August 2010 the database is updated using diff updates, every few hours (currently every 24 hours). While the database could easily be updated more frequently than that (it has run hourly, in the past), there is always a huge backlog of tiles that need refreshing. Refreshing the tiles takes a few days. The system is self-correcting in that the more popular the tile, the sooner it gets refreshed. But lower zoom levels (5 to 9) may be kept frozen for longer periods.